Building a brand in a positive light is a difficult task for different reasons based on how long your brand has been operating for. For those just starting out, it’s all about getting your name and brand values out there, for those with a long standing brand it’s about reminding people about your brand and potentially refreshing it. This blog is 5 ways to build brand awareness online.
Before you start trying to build your brand awareness online, you need to make sure that you’re happy with all aspects of it. Aspects can be changed in the future, which is important to bear in mind, however you’ll want to start this job off with a strong brand that you believe in. Aspects can include your business name, colour scheme, logo design, brand voice and more.
If you’re not 100% sure on your choice of branding, why not spend some time thinking about other options you could use. The differences between your options don’t need to be huge, just think about each aspect individually and then see how they look when combined.
Building a brand is not an overnight job, it does take time to appear as a trustworthy brand. Many businesses want to build their brand for different reasons but the main reason is to gain awareness. This could be general awareness of the company or awareness of specific products and services.
So how can I build brand awareness online?
Social media
As you probably know, social media is an incredibly powerful tool for businesses to use. Without spending a penny, you have access to a very large audience who can interact with your posts and share them to their own followers, who may also engage with your posts. Some social media channels also offer paid advertising which can help you to reach specific demographics based on your target audience. If your business is not already on social media then it’s definitely a good idea to create accounts due to sharing abilities.
Blogs
Blogging is a highly effective marketing tool that many businesses are choosing to utilise. Creating a blog allows potential customers to gain answers to their questions without them even needing to ask. When people look for answers to questions on search engines, blogs often rank well due to being relevant to the query. Through building brand awareness online through blogs, there’s potential that you could improve your ranking position on the search engine.
Be personal
Many consumers like to buy from companies that aren’t too corporate. If your brand offers you the opportunity to be more personal, try it! You’d be surprised how many consumers are actually interested in what you got up to at the weekend. Another great way to show personality through your posts is to share stories, whether it’s about how the business started or even your thoughts on something, people are likely to engage with this style of content.
Engage
If you’ve got people commenting on your social media posts or blogs or even leaving you reviews, it’s a good idea to respond to them. If people keep commenting and getting nothing back, they may end up being reluctant to comment on your posts in the future, which could damage your social media reach. You don’t need to spend ages responding to people, but a quick engagement will encourage interactions and brand loyalty.
Build your voice
Every business has a voice and it’s up to you what that is. Maybe your staff members are taught a specific way to answer the phone to customers or maybe you’ve created a hashtag specific to your business on social media, either way these simple actions will all be contributing to your brand’s voice. These aspects can be harder to change further down the line, as your customers will be used to the action and therefore expect it from your company, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be changed so don’t panic.
Building brand awareness doesn’t need to be a difficult task, but you should be patient as it does take time. If you need any further advice, don’t hesitate to contact us, we’re more than happy to help.